Do you have a dry itchy skin? Well, that might be an indication of a skin ailment but before you seek medical treatment, moisturizing your skin daily might be able to help. Read on to find out the causes, best lotions and remedies to use and how to treat rash and itchy skin around eyes, and face.

Causes of Dry Itchy Skin

Sometimes referred to as Pruritus, dry itchy skin has two major causes, namely, dehydration of the skin as a result of exposure to moisture stealing conditions, and skin diseases such as eczema and dermatitis. Dry itchy skin can be experienced on legs, hands, face, breasts, or body and tends to be experienced more in winter than in other season. Some people may also experience red itchy skin or itchy bumps, which may at times get flaky.

Best Lotion for Dry Itchy Skin

You can get rid of the itching that is often related to dry skin by moisturizing your skin daily with a good moisturizing lotion. Most lotions will not only moisturize your skin but also replenish it with essential ingredients such as vitamins and minerals.

You should moisturize your skin is right after shower or hand wash when your skin still have some moisture, but consider applying a skin lotion at least two times every day (one before bedtime). If you can apply three to four times, the better.

The best lotion for dry itchy skin is ideally hypoallergenic meaning that it has less or none of common skin irritants that can cause allergic reactions with your skin. They should especially be free of dyes and fragrances.

As the American Academy of Dermatology notes, fragrances are among the leading causes of irritant-contact dermatitis which can lead to itching and drying out of the skin. Lotions with soothing, anti-inflammatory substances such as chamomile and aloe are great options for dry itching skin. Most hypoallergenic lotions will have this indicated on their packaging labels.

AVEENO Skin Relief 24hr Moisturizing Lotion is easily the best lotion out there for itching dry skin. AVEENO Skin Relief 24hr Moisturizing Lotion is a gentle, soothing lotion for dry, itchy skin and is free of steroids. It is fast-absorbing and with its ACTIVE NATURALS Triple Oat Complex, it not only moisturizes the skin, but also nourishes it while soothing it against the itching. Above all, it doesn’t have skin irritating ingredients such as fragrances.

Dry Itchy Skin on Face

Dry itchy skin on the face is a problem that a significant number of people will face at some point in their life. It can be a manifestation of the impacts of dry air in your environment as is typical in winter when humidity levels in the air get to their lowest.

While dry itchy skin is not a serious problem in most cases, it can cause discomfort and embarrassment; imagine when you have to keep scratching your eyelids or nose in the midst of a date or meeting.

Plus, your skin can get infected after continuous scratching due to itching leading to swelling, pus, and a tender look of the skin. This necessitates treatment with antibiotics. So, if you have a dry, itchy, skin, you should try to avoid the temptation to scratch the face as much as possible and instead focus on replenishing the moisture and soothing the skin.

Dry itchy skin on the face will in most cases respond well to moisturizing with appropriate facial lotions and creams and adjusting your lifestyle to get rid of potentially dehydrating practices such as long, hot showers, and use of harsh cleansers among others.

With an itching dry skin, the first culprits to get rid of are those aftershaves, boy mists, and cleansing toners with alcohol as alcohol is known to have a drying effect on the skin.

Good facial lotions and creams for use on itching skin are those that are free of fragrances and other potential allergenic agents; you can identify such products with the term “hypoallergenic” on the packaging.

How to Treat Dry Itchy Skin

The first step in providing dry itchy skin relief is replenishing of the skin moisture while preventing further loss. To do this, you should change to mild cleansers that are friendlier to the skin unlike the regular soaps that do not work as treatments for dry skin.

You will also want to enhance the level of humidity in you house by investing in a small humidifier especially in winter and more so if you use a heat furnace. Taking shorter time in the shower and using warm water rather than hot water also helps to cure dry itchy skin.

It is also a great idea to avoid coming into contact with clothes and bedding made of coarse, rough, fabrics e.g. wool as these can make your skin itchy. Cotton and silk are better for the clothes that will be making contact with your skin.

The itchiness in your skin can be treated by applying an over-the-counter cream with 1% hydrocortisone. But if the itchiness persists (two weeks after applying the cream) or gets worse, consult a doctor.

Dry Itchy Skin around Eyes

As part of the “T” of the face, the skin around the eyes is particularly delicate and sensitive to harsh internal and environmental elements. If exposed to such elements, it can get dry and sometimes itchy. This is likely to affect those people living in areas characterized by low humidity.

The dryness and itchiness can be accompanied with a reddened look of the skin which can be quite unpleasant to most people.

While dryness and itchiness in the area around yours eyes can be an indication of an underlying skin ailment, it is in most cases an indication of skin dehydration and skin care interventions aimed at restoring the skin moisture will have soothing and rejuvenating effect.

Dry Itchy Skin Rash

Some people also experience dry, itchy bumps on the hands, under the chin, on the neck, or on the face at some point in their life. This could be an indication of an underlying dermal ailment such as eczema which typically starts as dry skin, then starts itching and finally transforms into an itchy rash.

But before you go to see a doctor, identifying and cutting out any skin dehydrating products and practices from your daily routine can help. For instance, taking shorter bathes and showers with warm rather than hot water spares your skin’s natural moisture. Mild cleansers and soaps are also great as they are less harsh to the skin than the ordinary soaps and cleansers. It is also great to go for the unscented ones as fragrances in soaps and cleansers can exacerbate itching and rash.

After washing, use a good lotion e.g. Cetaphil or cream e.g. Eucerin Calming Crème to replenish the skin with moisture.

Most over-the-counter cortisone cream will work great for rash, but should it persist after applying the cream for two weeks. You should consult a doctor immediately.

Best Soap for Dry Itchy Skin

A good soap for dry itchy skin should be free of fragrances and other potential irritants. A good example is Dove. You can also consider mild cleansers such as Cetaphil Cleanser if you have a sensitive skin.

Home Remedies for Dry Itchy Skin

There are various home remedies for dry itchy skin that can help relieve the itchiness. You may want to try:

Lemon juice: This might not be a favorable choice if you have been scratching your skin a lot, but applying lemon juice to the itching skin with a cotton wool helps to relive the itchiness.

Oil Therapy: Slather some almond oil, sesame oil or olive oil on the affected part before taking a shower also helps. Coconut oil also works well.

Apple cider vinegar: You can also apply some apple cider vinegar with a cotton wool to offer relief to dry itchy skin. You can also add 2 to 3 cups of apple cider vinegar to your bathing water and lie in it for between 15 and 30 minutes.